Sheraton smiles on the Canaries Most people will have heard of the Sheraton Hotel’s reputation for providing excellent resorts and quality service.

Marc Lannoy, the area director for Sheraton Hotels in the Canaries Tenerife Arona House/Chalet to sell Chayofa - Luxury Villa Chayofa - Luxerious Villa, 4 double bedrooms, dressing room, 1 bathroom, 2 toilets, utility room, 2 ... more details 29.04.2005 - They now have 750 hotels in destinations all over the world and, although there has been a Starwood Hotel in Tenerife for many years - the Hotel Mencey in Santa Cruz - it is only recently that Starwood has started to open up the rest of the Canarian Market with its Sheraton brand. Sheraton was the first American company on the islands and with the opening of the Sheraton La Caleta this year, the two hotels in Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura which will open next year, and a further one in the pipeline for Lanzarote, they will soon be making their mark in the Canaries. Marc Lannoy is the man that has been put in charge of this new wave of Sheraton hotels and he certainly seems to be the man for the job; he has worked on the island for the last two and a half years and for the company for 25. He has also worked in an astonishing array of different countries. He comes from Belgium and is the third generation of his family to work in the hotel trade. He started out as a front office clerk in Brussels and has since worked in Rotterdam, Morocco, Mexico City, Cancun, Acapulco and Djibouti  to name but a few. Apparently his speciality is opening new hotels so after a few years his work is done and on he moves to a new project. He confesses that one of his dreams is to see as many different countries as possible and, with 54 under his belt already, he’s well on his way. On meeting Marc you are immediately struck by his friendly and open attitude, he’s a man that loves his job and one who is satisfied with the opportunities that life has given him. He speaks English perfectly and appears quietly confident. At the moment a lot of Marc’s time is obviously spent at the new Sheraton La Caleta hotel which opened in January. It is beautifully appointed and from the outside it most definitely has the stamp of the popular architect, Melvin Villarroel on it. Thanks to Villarroel’s clever use of space all of the rooms have sea views and the overall effect is one of elegance and charm. There are 21,000 m2 of gardens and swimming pool areas and guests are encouraged to use all of the available space, there’s no squashing everyone’s sunbeds into one tiny spot. The reason the Sheraton chain of hotels is so popular is, according to Marc, because “they offer the client consistency” and “practical luxury”. The Sheraton hotels don’t just offer five star provision – they are successful because customers know that, no matter which Sheraton Hotel they go to, they can expect the same high standard of service and quality of product. Also, they provide more than just accommodation – each area of the package is well thought out and each service they provide is backed up by its own, individual, philosophy. There aren’t any plans at the moment to promote the Canaries to the American market – despite the Canaries / Columbus / Americas link - the logistics don’t really allow it, but it hasn’t been ruled out as a possibility. Really this depends on future feasibility studies and the introduction of a regular America – Canaries air route. Europe will be the hotel’s biggest market and, at the moment, most of the clients are from the U.K, Germany and mainland Spain. They will be looking to improve contact with the eastern European countries where the holiday market is swiftly growing and, of course, Russia is now the third greatest holiday market in Tenerife. Marc feels that the French, Belgian and Luxembourg markets have been neglected as far as the Canary Islands go and will be taking steps in the future to amend this shortfall. The Sheraton La Caleta also offers exclusive all-in packages and Marc insists it is necessary, not only because without it the hotel would lose a large proportion of the market, but because it is vital to offer the clients what they want to keep them coming back. Though he says he has always believed it is important to not ostracise local residents and the hotels are open to anyone who wants to come and use the facilities. One possibility that has been tried out in another resort is to make an all inclusive deal with the local restaurants, though if this is the way forward it remains to be seen. Clients of the Sheraton La Caleta will soon be able to relax on the hotel’s beach, the plans have been approved, the licences granted and all that remains is to bring the sand over from Africa. The beach should be finished within the next three months, well in time for the summer. The Association of Hoteliers recently complained about the many fish farms that have appeared around the coast of the Canary Islands in the last few years. Asked how he felt about them, Marc looked out from the terrace in the hotel at the fish farms that are situated right off the coast by the hotel and shrugged. He thinks that the fish farms are a small price to pay if they benefit the local economy and hasn’t any plans to join the call to arms. Marc tries to bring a little of his vast cultural experience to each of his projects, on a recent visit to a hotel in Bangkok he was impressed by the samples of local food that were offered to guests free at regular intervals and believes that it’s these unique touches that can make all the difference. He admits that the Canaries are in a dip at the moment and is philosophical about the steps that even the Sheraton is having to take, among them being price freezes for certain client groups and, unusually for a five star hotel, accepting stopover clients from airlines. The effects of the financial decline that the Canaries is experiencing are far reaching  though he’s still positive, he believes that the Canaries has something to offer that will, in the end, bring the tourist market back in full force. As for the future he hopes that the islands can unite and present one image for marketing purposes, he thinks it is necessary so that the islands can stay competitive in a holiday market that is rapidly changing. That on its own of course won’t work and Marc is quick to warn against arrogance; standards have to continue to improve and prices have to be kept down or no amount of marketing will be able to save the situation. Marc was involved in the design of the new Tenerife logo from the beginning and is full of enthusiasm for the end result. Where some critics have said that the simple X and smile design could be taken as a negative image – with the cross meaning no – Marc points out the other side – to a lot of people a cross is what they will use to say “yes, this is where we will go!” He’s also very positive about the fact that Tenerife has managed to break away from the traditional beach and palm tree logos and thinks that, love it or hate it, the new logo will definitely be remembered and that is, after all, the point.  Asked if he had any advice for anyone wanting to start in the hotel trade he was emphatic “Start as soon as possible, don’t leave it until later when you’re chances will be reduced – go for it now” The Sheraton hotels appear to have some very employee-friendly policies – the hotels actively encourage promotion from within their own staff and they have a strict policy that a member of staff cannot be hired from outside the company if there is someone already working there that is capable of the job. There are constant performance appraisals and talent reviews and department heads have to be Sheraton trained. That’s another reason Marc gives for getting in early – the opportunities for advancement within a company obviously improve the longer you have been working with them. He also recommends being flexible, as the best way to advance is to move around. Marc says he doesn’t have much spare time but, believe it or not, one of the things he likes to do is travel. He has recently married a beautiful Mexican lady and, for the first time in his life, he has actually bought a house – hoteliers tend to live in hotels. So maybe it could be suggested that he is ready to settle down?  No way! There are still a lot of countries to visit and a lot of hotels to open. Marc is a man who is passionate about his work and, even after 25 years, is still raring to go. Sheraton hotels are lucky to have him. Interview by Xena Fox

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